Sanctions might complicate Ukrainian crisis settlement, China says

August 22, 2014, 15:58 UTC+3BEIJINGEarlier, US Department of State coordinator for policy issues Daniel Fried said that the USA was urging different countries to join sanctions against Russia over Ukrainian events

BEIJING, August 22. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine's crisis can only be settled politically, and sanctions might only aggravate the situation, Chinese diplomats told ITAR-TASS on Friday.

Earlier, US Department of State coordinator for policy issues Daniel Fried said in an interview with Lithuanian media that the USA was urging different countries to join sanctions against Russia over Ukrainian events.

"The Ukrainian crisis requires a political solution. In a real situation, sanctions do not solve the problem; on the contrary, they might cause new problems which do not meet the interests of all sides and the initial intention to resolve the crisis," the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a written response to the ITAR-TASS request to comment on Fried's remarks.

"China calls upon all the parties to keep calm and exercise restraint, helping to promote peace talks, seek a political solution of the existing problems, and avoid the actions fraught with aggravation of contradictions and escalation of tensions, in order to ensure peace and stability in the region," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.